Chargers Running Back Curtis Brinkley

Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles. That's the Chargers running game. When asked to name a running back on the San Diego Chargers outside of those two, most people don't have a clue as to who will be number three.
The options are Marcus Mason, Shawnbrae McNeal, or Curtis Brinkley. Henry Young made a good article on Mason a few months back, but the other two have been pretty quiet.
However, in terms of age, strength, and hunger, I have to give the edge to Brinkley. He is also the most familiar with the Chargers game, as this marks his second season.
Given the injury rate amongst NFL running backs, we may have to get familiar with one of these three really soon. I'm pretty sure most Chargers fans would like to have seen Jonathon Dwyer grabbed in the fifth round, or even LeGarrette Blount drafted in the seventh. But now that they haven't, its time to look to the Chargers depth chart.
Six years ago in Philadelphia, the sky was the limit for Curtis Brinkley. He was not just breaking city high school records in the rich football heritage city held by former NFL players, he was shattering them.
Brinkley was heavily scouted and prospected. And for good reason. His numbers at West Catholic High of Philadelphia were mind boggling to fans and scouts alike.
H.S career:
7,229 Yards Rushing
1,007 Carries
That's 7.1 Yards per carry
85 TD'S
He also had 300-yard games five times his senior year.
At this point, he had to be looked at as the next Barry Sanders in anybody's mind. At 5'9" and 200 pounds, he is even built similar.
So what happened to him?
Well, injuries and lack of playing time, actually. He attended Syracuse University and fell off of the NFL scout's radars pretty much due to those two reasons.
However, in his senior season, he remained healthy and ran for 1,164 yards, 4.9 yard average and seven TD's. However it may have been too little too late, and Brinkley was not drafted.

Keeping the dream Alive
Brinkley felt he had more to offer as a football player and headed west to San Diego. The Chargers organization was very impressed with him, and shocked quite a few people by signing him to a contract.
It was a good story, either a hidden talent who flew under the radar, and the Chargers lucked out, or another one of those " long shots who made good deals" Either way, everybody was happy, and the sky was the limit.
Unfortunately, the honeymoon was short lived. At home on vacation shortly after his signing, Brinkley was shot multiple times and hospitalized.
This is where the story ends for most people. Ah, what a waste of talent. Man, that guy just signed a contract—what's he doing getting shot? Man, what did the Chargers see in that guy? Does this cut into salary space? Can they just drop that guy?
These were the questions that surfaced about the shooting. Well, here's the answers.
1. The Chargers kept Brinkley under contract. No, they didn't drop him.
2. Brinkley has no ties with gang affiliation. The incident reports show Brinkley as dropping his sister off at work and an unknown gunman opened fire on him with no prior altercation in what appeared as a failed car jacking attempt.
3. To their credit, The Chargers have described him as:
- A class act
- One of the nicest people you'll ever meet
- Wearing his heart on his sleeve
They never once laid claim to his talents with the football as a factor as why they kept him.
Had this incident occurred prior to his signing, I would say it is a gesture of goodwill on their part. But being that he had previously signed him, it is obvious that they are interested and invested in what he can offer on the field.
It aint over.
Just as Rocky proclaimed before picking himself off the mat and winning the Championship title, this story isn't over either.
Chargers fans haven't heard the last of the name Curtis Brinkley. Not by a long shot. No pun intended.
Curtis Brinkley is back. He's 100 percent healthy and fully recovered. He's only 24 and yes, he's still wearing Bolts.
So there may be a big reason the Chargers didn't reach for running backs in the draft past Mathews. For A.J Smith to sign a undrafted free agent in June with a roster that already included Tomlinson and Sproles, Brinkley has to be good.

Running back is an instinctive position—more so than a wide receiver, quarterback or linebacker. If you got it, you got it, as they say. Sproles and Mathews have it, and if Brinkley is any form of his high school self, The Chargers will have a three-headed monster to back up a high potent offense.